I had a regular Fat Boy and it's in the Pre-owned section at the dealership. Great bike, handled well. But dang, the Road King is soooo much better.

As far as handling, I find the King to handle better than the Fat Boy, even around town.

But if you are looking to get something to simply ride around town, and something that looks great stripped down, the Fat Boy may fit that bill.

 

Went from a FXSTC to a SG.
No regrets and would most definately not go back..

You'd be better off selling your's outiright and buying an evo FB.

Better ride one of em' first though.

 

My wife has a FB that I ride on occassion. The difference is like night and day for me but I am a large man. Not quite the soft ride that my Ultra has but not bad. Dont think I could make a long ride on it but then again it is set up for my wife.

 

The ride will suffer for sure, but how much that will bother YOU, no one but you knows. When my wife quit riding I traded my Roadglide for an custom evo, 5 speed, rigid and rode it all over for nearly 10 years. Got back on a tourer a couple years ago but I'll be 65 next month. I say get what gives ya wood!

 

I had a 05 Fatboy Annv Edition, 95" engine Stage 2. It was a great bike but I sold it to get my Road Glide.

Id never go back away from a Touring Line HD. IMO the Fatboy did not feel that much lighter than the RG. As soon as Im moving on the RG from parking lot to freeways IMO the touring bikes out handle the softails, better lean angles, more nimble at walking speeds. Other than the 100lbs difference in static weight as soon as you let the clutch out I like the touring bike better for short hops or all day rides.

 

I rent a softtail now and then. I think they ride nice but the "B" engine starts wearing on me. It just feels like something is broke, except as idle. Feels great to jump back on my SG.

Beary

 

I owned both at the same time for a while. The FB was definately faster, and easier to clean lol, but, there is no comparison in ride or comfort. The SG actually is pretty nimble in tight areas even compared to the FB. I eventually hardly ever rode the FB, so I eventually sold it.

 

I own and regularly ride an '05 fatboy (88") and a '13 street glide (103"). I love the way the fatboy feels, rides, handles and looks, it's an awesome motorcycle that I just couldn't bring myself to part with in order to get a touring bike.....but I can't really say my fatboy out performs the street glide in any one thing other than looks, and maybe backing it out of the driveway. Don't own a 96' so can't say much there, but the difference between the 88" and 103" is substantial. 5 speed or 6 speed? Around town I don't really have a preference but if i had to choose, probably the 5, but again: for me, I don't find it a big deal around town, and at highway speeds I'd definitely pick the 6 speed without question.

Ain't nothing gonna satisfy if it's another bike you got it in for, but have you considered some mods to the road king? They look killer with apes and lowered rears. If I didn't already have the fatboy I woulda had a hard time not picking a road king, seems to me to be the best 2 outta 1 bike they make. Great looking bike that rides more comfortable than a softail. Good luck with the decision.

 

Depending on the setup you had on your FB, I will disagree with the FB being faster. I traded my 06 FLSTFI for my SG and the differance is night and day.

Lots of soft tails in my crew that have opened up on me on the road, and I seem
to leave them all a couple of miles away..I have hit 100 on this thing and it begs for more.

 

The weight to HP difference is better on a FB, maybe 90-100 lbs or so, 720lbs to 810lbs, you cant beat physics, the FB has a 12% + weight advantage out of the box. Do the same mods on both bikes with 103s and the FB will out perform it flat out, just becuase of weight, so yeah, I think the FBs are faster. Say what you want, but I owned both bikes at the same time, none of my buddies with tweaked touring bikes could hang with my FB, it would steadily pull on them through every gear.